167 lines
5.9 KiB
Markdown
167 lines
5.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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stage: Systems
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group: Distribution
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info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
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description: "GitLab administrator: enable and disable GitLab features deployed behind feature flags"
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---
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# Enable and disable GitLab features deployed behind feature flags **(FREE SELF)**
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GitLab adopted [feature flags strategies](../development/feature_flags/index.md)
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to deploy features in an early stage of development so that they can be
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incrementally rolled out.
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Before making them permanently available, features can be deployed behind
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flags for a [number of reasons](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product-development-flow/feature-flag-lifecycle/#when-to-use-feature-flags), such as:
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- To test the feature.
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- To get feedback from users and customers while in an early stage of the development of the feature.
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- To evaluate users adoption.
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- To evaluate how it impacts the performance of GitLab.
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- To build it in smaller pieces throughout releases.
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Features behind flags can be gradually rolled out, typically:
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1. The feature starts disabled by default.
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1. The feature becomes enabled by default.
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1. The feature flag is removed.
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These features can be enabled and disabled to allow or prevent users from using
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them. It can be done by GitLab administrators with access to GitLab Rails
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console.
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When you disable a feature flag, the feature is hidden from users and all of the functionality is turned off.
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For example, data is not recorded and services do not run.
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If you used a certain feature and identified a bug, a misbehavior, or an
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error, it's very important that you [**provide feedback**](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/new?issue[title]=Docs%20-%20feature%20flag%20feedback%3A%20Feature%20Name&issue[description]=Describe%20the%20problem%20you%27ve%20encountered.%0A%0A%3C!--%20Don%27t%20edit%20below%20this%20line%20--%3E%0A%0A%2Flabel%20~%22docs%5C-comments%22%20) to GitLab as soon
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as possible so we can improve or fix it while behind a flag. When you upgrade
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GitLab, the feature flag status may change.
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## Risks when enabling features still in development
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Features that are disabled by default may change or be removed without notice in a future version of GitLab.
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Data corruption, stability degradation, performance degradation, or security issues might occur if
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you enable a feature that's disabled by default. Problems caused by using a default
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disabled feature aren't covered by GitLab support, unless you were directed by GitLab
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to enable the feature.
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Security issues found in features that are disabled by default are patched in regular releases
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and do not follow our regular [maintenance policy](../policy/maintenance.md#security-releases)
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with regards to backporting the fix.
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## Risks when disabling released features
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In most cases, the feature flag code is removed in a future version of GitLab.
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If and when that occurs, from that point onward you can't keep the feature in a disabled state.
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## How to enable and disable features behind flags
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Each feature has its own flag that should be used to enable and disable it.
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The documentation of each feature behind a flag includes a section informing
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the status of the flag and the command to enable or disable it.
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### Start the GitLab Rails console
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The first thing you need to enable or disable a feature behind a flag is to
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start a session on GitLab Rails console.
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For Omnibus installations:
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```shell
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sudo gitlab-rails console
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```
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For installations from the source:
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```shell
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sudo -u git -H bundle exec rails console -e production
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```
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For details, see [starting a Rails console session](operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session).
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### Enable or disable the feature
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Once the Rails console session has started, run the `Feature.enable` or
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`Feature.disable` commands accordingly. The specific flag can be found
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in the feature's documentation itself.
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To enable a feature, run:
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```ruby
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Feature.enable(:<feature flag>)
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```
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Example, to enable a fictional feature flag named `my_awesome_feature`:
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```ruby
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Feature.enable(:my_awesome_feature)
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```
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To disable a feature, run:
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```ruby
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Feature.disable(:<feature flag>)
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```
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Example, to disable a fictional feature flag named `my_awesome_feature`:
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```ruby
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Feature.disable(:my_awesome_feature)
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```
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Some feature flags can be enabled or disabled on a per project basis:
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```ruby
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Feature.enable(:<feature flag>, Project.find(<project id>))
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```
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For example, to enable the [`:product_analytics`](../operations/product_analytics.md#enable-or-disable-product-analytics) feature flag for project `1234`:
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```ruby
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Feature.enable(:product_analytics, Project.find(1234))
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```
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`Feature.enable` and `Feature.disable` always return `nil`, this is not an indication that the command failed:
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```ruby
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irb(main):001:0> Feature.enable(:my_awesome_feature)
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=> nil
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```
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When the feature is ready, GitLab removes the feature flag, and the option for
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enabling and disabling it no longer exists. The feature becomes available in all instances.
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### Check if a feature flag is enabled
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To check if a flag is enabled or disabled, use `Feature.enabled?` or `Feature.disabled?`.
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For example, for a feature flag named `my_awesome_feature` that is already enabled:
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```ruby
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Feature.enabled?(:my_awesome_feature)
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=> true
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Feature.disabled?(:my_awesome_feature)
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=> false
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```
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When the feature is ready, GitLab removes the feature flag, and the option for
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enabling and disabling it no longer exists. The feature becomes available in all instances.
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### View set feature flags
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You can view all GitLab administrator set feature flags:
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```ruby
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Feature.all
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=> [#<Flipper::Feature:198220 name="my_awesome_feature", state=:on, enabled_gate_names=[:boolean], adapter=:memoizable>]
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```
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### Unset feature flag
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You can unset a feature flag so that GitLab will fall back to the current defaults for that flag:
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```ruby
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Feature.remove(:my_awesome_feature)
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=> true
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```
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